Dear all,
Good morning. Please find below the communication that has been sent to all agents having groups in the next few weeks:
We would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the latest regulations issued by the Ministry of Health and the Interior Ministry of the State of Israel in regard to the CoronaVirus.
General Order by Ministry of Health (18.02.2020)
Earlier this week the Ministry of Health issued the order that foreign citizens arriving from Thailand, Hongkong, Macau, Singapore, and China Mainland are no longer permitted to enter Israel unless they agree to a self-quarantine of at least 14 days. This is applicable for all border crossings into Israel regardless of whether it is a land crossing or an airport.
This order is also applicable for all foreign citizens (not depending on citizenship) who have spent time in one of the above-mentioned countries during the last 14 days before entering Israel.
So far not affected are transit passengers who stayed inside the airport (f.e. Hongkong) during the entire transit time.
Airline Situation
Cathay Pacific
As of now, Cathay Pacific has announced that they are checking their operations between Hongkong and Tel Aviv and most probably will cease operations at a certain point. So far, they have not decided on the exact date, but rumors are that as of March 1st they are stopping their flights.
Further updates on Cathay Pacific Operations can be found here: https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_GB/travel-information/travel-preparation/travel-advisories.html
EL AL Israel Airlines
EL AL is in constant contact with the Israeli Authorities. After ceasing operations to Beijing and Hongkong there are talks that EL AL might cease its Bangkok operations as well. We are waiting for a decision during the next couple of days.
Further updates on EL AL Operations can be found here:
https://www.elal.com/en/About-ELAL/About-ELAL/News/Pages/Corona-Feb2020.aspx
We kindly ask you to inform all of your clients traveling to Israel during the next coming weeks, about the immigration restrictions as we have already had cases where guests were denied entrance to Israel.